Churches of Christ
| Churches of Christ | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Christian |
| Orientation | New Testament, Restoration Movement |
| Polity | Congregationalist |
| Congregations | 43,000 |
| Members | 2,034,338 worldwide; 1,367,859 in the United States |
Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone in order to be the church described in the New Testament. Churches of Christ teach that God saves and adds to the church those who hear the gospel, believe in Christ, repent of sin, confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God, are baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:36-38, 47; Rom. 10:9-10) and live according to God's will (James 2:14-17).
Churches of Christ in the United States have heritage in the American Restoration Movement. This evangelistic and Bible-based effort began in various places as several people sought a return to the original teachings and practices of the New Testament. Christian leaders including Robert Sandeman, Abner Jones, Elias Smith, James O'Kelly, Rice Haggard, Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, and Barton W. Stone were trailblazers of similar movements that impacted the eventual phenomenon known as the American Restoration Movement.
The Restoration ideal was also similar and somewhat connected to earlier restoration efforts in Europe (such as those of John Glas, Robert Haldane, and James Haldane), as well as Puritan movements in colonial America. Though differing somewhat in details, each group consisted of like-minded Christians who, although often independent of one another, had declared independence from their various denominations and the traditional creeds, seeking a fresh start to return to the doctrines and practices of the New Testament church. They did not see themselves as establishing a new church, but rather sought "the unification of all Christians in a single body patterned after the original church of the New Testament." The names "Church of Christ," "Christian Church," and "Disciples of Christ" were adopted by the movement because they believed these terms to be biblical, rather than denominational.
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